The transition was lengthy anticipated, after Citi’s 2024 announcement that it might purchase Barclays’ AAdvantage playing cards and transfer present cardholders to Citi merchandise. In late 2025, the AAdvantage® Aviator® Purple World Elite Mastercard® — together with the remainder of Barclays’ portfolio of Benefit playing cards — stopped accepting new functions.
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A little bit of historical past — American Airways beforehand supplied co-branded AAdvantage bank cards from each Citi and Barclays, an unconventional construction that resulted from the American Airways and US Airways merger in 2013. At the moment, Citi issued American playing cards and Barclays issued US Airways playing cards. As soon as the airways mixed, each issuers retained elements of the portfolio.
Citi says Aviator Purple cardholders can proceed utilizing their playing cards till they obtain and activate their new Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®, which will likely be mailed inside six to eight weeks from April 27, 2026. Present cardholders is not going to want to use for the brand new card.
Right here’s how the 2 playing cards examine and what modifications cardholders can count on.
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$99, waived for the primary 12 months. |
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Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first buy and paying the $99 annual payment in full, each inside the first 90 days. (This card stood out for its beneficiant and easy-to-earn welcome bonus. With most different bank cards, you have to first meet a selected spending threshold to earn a welcome bonus.) |
Earn 50,000 American Airways AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases inside the first 3 months of account opening. |
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Citi says after transitioning to the brand new card, earlier AAdvantage® Aviator® Purple World Elite Mastercard® holders will even proceed to have entry to the next legacy card advantages for a restricted time till advance discover from the issuer: as much as $25 again on in-flight Wi-Fi purchases every anniversary 12 months, and the cardboard’s annual companion certificates once you hit the annual spending threshold.
Plus, AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Factors beforehand earned from transactions made in your AAdvantage® Aviator® Purple World Elite Mastercard® and deposited to your AAdvantage account is not going to be affected by the transition. You’ll proceed to earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Factors once you spend along with your new Citi card.
Together with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Purple World Elite Mastercard®, the opposite playing cards in Barclays’ AAdvantage portfolio will even be shifting to Citi-issued American Airways playing cards:
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AAdvantage® Aviator® Blue World Elite Mastercard® holders will likely be moved to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard®.
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AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Enterprise Mastercard® holders will likely be moved to the Citi® / AAdvantage Enterprise™ World Elite Mastercard®.
This web page contains details about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®, at present unavailable on NerdWallet. Details about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Gold World Elite Mastercard® and the Citi® / AAdvantage Enterprise™ World Elite Mastercard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been offered or reviewed by issuer of those playing cards.
